Sign up for the BRAIDING SWEETGRASS virtual reading group in the lead up to author talk!
This fall and winter, Dr. Fareed Ben-Youssef (Assistant Professor in Film & Media; Dept. of English) is organizing a small online reading group to read Robin Wall Kimmerer's book
Braiding Sweetgrass.
Would you like to join us?
Kimmerer will be giving a virtual talk at Texas Tech on February 21, 2025 (sponsored by the TLPDC, the Humanities Center, and others), so our goal will be to read the book before that event.
Pondering the lessons of the natural world from an indigenous botanist's perspective, member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Kimmerer takes us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert). See attached flyer for more information.
Depending on group interest, Ben-Youssef may program complementary films.
Here's a roadmap for our book club:
Meeting 1: Wednesday, September 25 from 12:00-1:00 pm CST on Zoom. At this meeting, we'll discuss the first section of the book, Planting Sweetgrass. If you haven't read the whole section, no worries! Join us anyway.
Zoom link to register:
Meeting 2: Friday, October 25 from 12:00-1:00 pm CST on Zoom. At this meeting, we'll discuss the second section of the book, Tending Sweetgrass. If you haven't read the whole section, no worries! Join us anyway.
Meeting 3: Friday, November 22 from 12:00-1:00 pm CST on Zoom. At this meeting, we'll discuss the third section of the book, Picking Sweetgrass. If you haven't read the whole section, no worries! Join us anyway.
Meeting 4: Friday, January 31 from 12:00-1:00 pm CST on Zoom. At this meeting, we'll discuss the fourth and fifth sections of the book, Braiding Sweetgrass and Burning Sweetgrass. If you haven't read both sections (you can guess what's coming next), no worries! Join us anyway.
Meeting 5: Tuesday, February 18. Lunch at the TLPDC. At this event, we'll converse with other members of the campus community who have read the book and prepare for Robin Wall Kimmerer's virtual visit to Texas Tech.
Meeting 6: Friday, February 21 on Zoom. Robin Wall Kimmerer's virtual talk + Q&A with the audience.
Let us know if you're interested!
follow this link to reserve your copy of the book, which should be ready for you to pick up in the next couple of weeks.
Please direct your questions about the online reading group to Dr. Fareed Ben-Youssef (fbenyous@ttu.edu).